By Myara Gomez
Staff Writer
On Sep.16, an email was sent out by Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, associate vice president of government and community relations, regarding the stolen street signs around Ewing Township.
The missing street signs around Ewing Township is not only a safety issue — this is also a criminal offense.
“How could they let this happen?” said freshman marketing major Anthony Bush. “It’s pretty unfathomable. I drive, so like what happens if there’s an accident and it’s caused by the lack of signs? Because a student decided to take it off. So, I think there should be something done about this, and I think that it should be taken very seriously.”
According to Rosenblum Law, the theft of things that do not belong to you could be charged with “theft by unlawful taking” or “criminal mischief for vandalism or property destruction.”
The email sent by Keyes-Maloney states that each sign costs one hundred and twenty-five dollars to make along with staff time to install them. According to Rosenblum Law, if a person is accused of stealing property worth under two hundred dollars, the potential charges are up to one thousand dollars in fines and up to six months of jail time.
“Given the timing, coincidental to the beginning of the academic year, it is reasonable to believe that some students may be involved,” said Keyes-Maloney.
According to the email, Ewing Township gets assistance from surrounding towns for their emergency services. This creates a safety issue because these outside emergency services aren’t familiar with the area so they use the street signs as a guide.
The email also stated that signs are also important for delivery drivers, and deliveries are more common now due to online shopping. Delivery drivers aren’t familiar with the areas they deliver to and street signs help them out significantly. Due to the absence of these street signs, delivery drivers could get lost and be unable to complete their job. Also, it could cause them to get into an accident.
The concern is also raised among regular everyday drivers that may lose focus on the road and be confused by the lack of street signs.
When questioned if the number of accidents will increase in the area due to the lack of street signs, freshman psychology major Alison McNamara had a different point of view.
“Maybe not due to the lack of street signs, but more so to the lack of care from the drivers,” said McNamara.
Campus Police was offering an “amnesty window” up to Sept. 30 where people may return signs with no questions asked. The amnesty period is now over and if students are found with one of the stolen street signs they will be punished.
As of Oct. 3, none of the missing street signs have been returned.
“Following the amnesty period, which ended on September 30, anyone caught with a sign in their possession faces potential theft charges from the township, which could also have an impact from a student conduct perspective,” said Keyes-Maloney.
If a student has knowledge about a street sign they may reach out to Campus Police at 609-771-2345, and they will pick it up.
